A study found that repressing these memories for long enough can lead to us erasing them completely.

Using EEG scans, scientists noted the parts of volunteers’ brains which became active when actively trying to forget something.

They were also able to pinpoint the exact moment a memory is ‘forgotten’, and claim that long-term supression of a memory is a sure fire way of permanently erasing it.

The study authors, led by Gerd Thomas Waldhauser, from Lund University in Sweden, say that mastering the technique could be useful for people who suffer from depression or post traumatic stress disorder.